Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

When a transistor having bottom gate bottom contact structure is manufactured, for example, a conductive layer constituting a source and a drain has a three-layer structure and two-step etching is performed. In the first etching process, an etching method in which the etching rates for at least the second film and the third film are high is employed, and the first etching process is performed until at least the first film is exposed. In the second etching process, an etching method in which the etching rate for the first film is higher than that in the first etching process and the etching rate for a “layer provided below and in contact with the first film” is lower than that in the first etching process is employed. The side wall of the second film is slightly etched when a resist mask is removed after the second etching process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The technical field of the present invention relates to a semiconductordevice and a manufacturing method thereof. Note that in thisspecification, a semiconductor device refers to a semiconductor elementitself or a device including a semiconductor element. As an example ofsuch a semiconductor element, for example, a transistor (a thin filmtransistor and the like) can be given. In addition, a semiconductordevice also refers to a display device such as a liquid crystal displaydevice.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics(hereinafter, referred to as oxide semiconductors) have attractedattention. Oxide semiconductors may be applied to transistors (seePatent Documents 1 and 2), for example.

There are many types of transistors. For example, transistors may beclassified as a bottom gate-type structure and a top gate-type structureaccording to the positional relationship among a substrate, a gate, anda channel formation region. A transistor structure having a gate placedbetween a channel formation region and a substrate is called a bottomgate-type structure. A transistor structure having a channel formationregion placed between a gate and a substrate is called a top gate-typestructure.

In addition, transistors may be classified as a bottom contact type anda top contact type according to connection portions of a source and adrain with a semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed. Atransistor with a structure where the connection portions of a sourceand a drain with a semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed isplaced on a substrate side is called a bottom contact type. A transistorwith a structure where the connection portions of a source and a drainwith a semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed is placed on aside opposite to a substrate (that is, a counter substrate side in aliquid crystal display device) is called a top contact type.

Types of transistors can be classified as a BGBC (bottom gate bottomcontact) structure, a BGTC (bottom gate top contact) structure, a TGTC(top gate top contact) structure, and a TGBC (top gate bottom contact)structure.

REFERENCE Patent Documents

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No.2007-123861

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Published Patent Application No.2007-096055

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide atransistor having a sufficiently large on-state current and asufficiently small off-state current. Such a transistor having asufficiently large on-state current and a sufficiently small off-statecurrent has good switching characteristics.

Meanwhile, a transistor when applied to many types of productspreferably has high reliability.

One of methods for examining reliability of transistors is abias-temperature stress test (hereinafter, referred to as a Gate BiasTemperature (GBT) test). The GBT test is one kind of accelerated testand a change in characteristics, caused by long-term usage, oftransistors can be evaluated in a short time. In particular, the amountof shift in threshold voltage of the transistor between before and aftera GBT test is an important indicator for examining reliability. Thesmaller the shift in the threshold voltage between before and after aGBT test is, the higher the reliability of the transistor is.

In particular, the temperature of a substrate over which a transistor isformed is set at a fixed temperature. A source and a drain of thetransistor are set at the same potential, and a gate is supplied with apotential different from those of the source and the drain for a certainperiod. The temperature of the substrate may be determined depending onthe purpose of the test. Further, the potential applied to the gate ishigher than the potential of the source and the drain (the potential ofthe source and the drain is the same) in a “+GBT test” while thepotential applied to the gate is lower than the potential of the sourceand the drain (the potential of the source and the drain is the same) ina “−GBT test.”

Strength of the GBT test may be determined based on the temperature of asubstrate and electric field intensity and time period of application ofthe electric field to a gate insulating layer. The electric fieldintensity in the gate insulating layer is determined as the value of apotential difference between a gate, and a source and a drain divided bythe value of the thickness of the gate insulating layer. For example,when an electric field intensity of the gate insulating layer having athickness of 100 nm is 2 MV/cm, the potential difference is 20 V.

Furthermore, the shift in the threshold voltage of a transistor havingan oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region is also confirmedby a GBT test.

Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is to provide asemiconductor device having high reliability and threshold voltage whichis difficult to shift despite long term usage.

Further, another embodiment of the present invention is to provide asemiconductor device having high reliability and good switchingcharacteristics.

Furthermore, a gate, a source and a drain of a transistor are preferablyformed over the same layer as a gate wiring and a source wiring. Thegate wiring and the source wiring are preferably formed of a materialhaving high conductivity.

The semiconductor device having good switching characteristics, which isone embodiment of the present invention, can be obtained by forming asemiconductor layer serving as a channel formation region to have asufficient thickness to the thickness of the gate insulating layer.

Further, the semiconductor device having high reliability, which is oneembodiment of the present invention, can be obtained by improvingcoverage of each layer to be provided.

Specific structures of one preferred embodiment of the present inventionwill be described below.

One embodiment of the present invention is an etching method includingat least first and second etching processes. Here, a “film to be etched”preferably has a three-layer structure including a first film, a secondfilm, and a third film from the lower side. In the first etchingprocess, an etching method in which the etching rates for at least thesecond film and the third film are high is employed, and the firstetching process is performed until at least the first film is exposed.In the second etching process, an etching method in which the etchingrate for the first film is higher than that in the first etching processand the etching rate for a “layer provided below and in contact with thefirst film” is lower than that in the first etching process is employed.

The above-described etching method that is one embodiment of the presentinvention can be applied to a manufacturing process of a semiconductordevice. In particular, when the “film to be etched” is a conductivefilm, the etching method that is one embodiment of the presentinvention, described above is preferably used. Especially, the “ layerprovided below and in contact with the first film” is preferably asemiconductor layer. In other words, a transistor is preferably a topcontact type.

In other words, one embodiment of the present invention is a method formanufacturing a semiconductor device, including the steps of forming afirst wiring layer; forming an insulating layer to cover the firstwiring layer; forming a semiconductor layer over the insulating layer;stacking a first conductive film, a second conductive film, and a thirdconductive film in this order over the semiconductor layer; forming aresist mask over the third conductive film; and performing etchingincluding at least two steps on the first to third conductive filmsusing the resist mask to form separated second wiring layers having athree-layer structure. The two-step etching includes a first etchingprocess, which is performed until at least the first conductive film isexposed, and a second etching process, which is performed under thecondition that the etching rate for the first conductive film is higherthan that in the first etching process and the etching rate for thesemiconductor layer is lower than that in the first etching process.After the second etching process, the resist mask is removed using aresist stripper.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method formanufacturing a semiconductor device, including the steps of forming asemiconductor layer; stacking a first conductive film, a secondconductive film, and a third conductive film in this order over thesemiconductor layer; forming a resist mask over the third conductivefilm; performing etching including at least two steps on the first tothird conductive films using the resist mask to form separated firstwiring layers having a three-layer structure; forming an insulatinglayer to cover the first wiring layer and the semiconductor layer; andforming a second wiring layer to overlap with the semiconductor layerover the insulating layer. The two-step etching includes a first etchingprocess, which is performed until at least the first conductive film isexposed, and a second etching process, which is performed under thecondition that the etching rate for the first conductive film is higherthan that in the first etching process and the etching rate for thesemiconductor layer is lower than that in the first etching process.After the second etching process, the resist mask is removed using aresist stripper.

Note that the present invention is not limited thereto and a transistormay be a bottom contact type. In other words, in the BGBC or TGBCstructure, the above-described etching method may be used for theformation of the source and the drain having a three-layer structure. Inthe BGBC structure, the “layer provided below and in contact with thefirst film” is a gate insulating layer. In the TGBC structure, the“layer provided below and in contact with the first film” is aninsulating film or a substrate to be a base.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and theabove-described etching method that is one embodiment of the presentinvention can be used when a conductive film to be a gate is etched.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, the first etching process is performed usinga gas containing more chlorine than fluorine as its main component andthe second etching process is performed using a gas containing morefluorine than chlorine as its main component.

More specifically, a mixture gas of a BCl₃ gas and a Cl₂ gas are givenas a gas containing more chlorine than fluorine as its main component.As a gas containing more fluorine than chlorine, a SF₆ gas is given.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, it is preferable that the first conductivefilm be thicker than the third conductive film. This is because thelayer provided below and in contact with the first conductive film isnot easily exposed in the first etching process when the firstconductive film is formed to be thick, and wiring resistance is reducedwhen the first conductive film is formed to be thick although the thirdconductive film is preferably thin because of being etched by the firstetching.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, when the second conductive film is formed tobe thick, a conductive material for forming the second conductive filmpreferably has higher conductivity than a conductive material forforming the first conductive film and the third conductive film. This isbecause wiring resistance is reduced when the second conductive film isformed to be thick.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, the first conductive film and the thirdconductive film may be titanium films and the second conductive film maybe aluminum film, for example.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, the semiconductor layer may be an oxidesemiconductor layer, for example.

In one embodiment of the present invention having any one of theabove-described structures, the oxide semiconductor layer may be formedof a material of IGZO, for example.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the “layerprovided below and in contact with the first film” can be prevented frombeing thinned. Thus, in the case where the “layer provided below and incontact with the first film” is a semiconductor layer, reduction in thethickness of the semiconductor layer can be prevented. Thus, theon-state current of the semiconductor layer can become sufficientlylarge and the off-state current of the semiconductor layer can becomesufficiently small. Further, variation in the thickness of thesemiconductor layer within a substrate surface, which occurs due toetching, can be prevented and variation in characteristics can beprevented.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductordevice having characteristics which hardly shift in a GBT test can beobtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice of Embodiment 1.

FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice of Embodiment 1.

FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice of Embodiment 1.

FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrate a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice of Embodiment 2.

FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate a method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice of Embodiment 2.

FIGS. 6A to 6F are electronic devices of Embodiment 3.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are STEM images described in Example 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the presentinvention is not limited to the following description and it is easilyunderstood by those skilled in the art that the mode and details can bevariously changed without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent invention. Accordingly, the invention should not be construed asbeing limited to the description of the embodiments below. In describingstructures of the present invention with reference to the drawings, thesame reference numerals are used in common for the same portions indifferent drawings. The same hatching pattern is applied to similarparts, and the similar parts are not especially denoted by referencenumerals in some cases. In addition, for convenience, an insulatinglayer is, in some cases, not illustrated in plan views.

Furthermore, hereinafter, ordinal numbers, such as “first” and “second,”are used merely for convenience, and the present invention is notlimited to the numbers.

Embodiment 1

In this embodiment, a semiconductor device that is one embodiment of thepresent invention and a manufacturing method thereof are described. Atransistor is given as an example of a semiconductor device.

A method for manufacturing a transistor of this embodiment, which isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1C, FIGS. 2A to 2D, and FIGS. 3Ato 3C includes the steps of forming a first wiring layer 102; forming afirst insulating layer 104 to cover the first wiring layer 102; forminga semiconductor layer 106 over the first insulating layer 104; stackinga first conductive film 107A, a second conductive film 107B, and a thirdconductive film 107C in this order over the semiconductor layer 106 toform a multilayer conductive film 107; and performing etching includingat least two steps on the multilayer conductive film 107 to formseparated second wiring layers 108 having a three-layer structure. Thetwo-step etching includes a first etching process, which is performeduntil at least the first conductive film 107A is exposed, and a secondetching process, which is performed under the condition that the etchingrate for the first conductive film 107A is higher than that in the firstetching process and the etching rate for the semiconductor layer 106 islower than that in the first etching process.

First, the first wiring layer 102 is formed over a substrate 100 at theselected areas, the first insulating layer 104 is formed to cover thefirst wiring layer 102, and the semiconductor layer 106 is formed overthe first insulating layer 104 at the selected areas (FIG. 1A).

A substrate having an insulative surface may be used as the substrate100. For example, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a semiconductorsubstrate having an insulating layer formed on its surface, or astainless steel substrate having an insulating layer formed on itssurface may be used as the substrate 100.

The first wiring layer 102 constitutes at least a gate of a transistor.The first wiring layer 102 may be formed of a conductive material. Thefirst conductive layer 102 may be formed in such a manner that aconductive film is formed and is processed by photolithography.

The first insulating layer 104 constitutes at least a gate insulatinglayer of the transistor. The first insulating layer 104 may be formed ofsilicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitrideoxide, or the like. When the semiconductor layer 106 is an oxidesemiconductor layer, the first insulating layer 104 is preferably formedby a sputtering method so that moisture and hydrogen are removed as muchas possible from the first insulating layer 104 which is in contact withthe semiconductor layer 106. The first insulating layer 104 may be asingle layer or a stack of a plurality of layers.

The first insulating layer 104 may be formed using gallium oxide,aluminum oxide, or other oxygen-excess oxides.

Note that “silicon oxynitride” contains more oxygen than nitrogen.

Further, “silicon nitride oxide” contains more nitrogen than oxygen.

Here, the semiconductor layer 106 is formed of oxide semiconductor. Thesemiconductor layer 106 may be formed in such a manner that asemiconductor film is formed and is processed by photolithography. Forforming the semiconductor layer 106, an oxide semiconductor, which madeto be an intrinsic (I-type) or a substantially intrinsic (I-type) byremoving impurities to highly purify the oxide semiconductor so thatimpurities which are carrier donors besides main components do not existin the oxide semiconductor as much as possible, is used.

The highly purified oxide semiconductor layer contains extremely fewcarriers (close to zero), and the carrier concentration thereof is lowerthan 1×10¹⁴/cm³, preferably lower than 1×10¹²/cm³, more preferably lowerthan 1×10¹¹/cm³.

The off-state current can be small in a transistor because the number ofcarriers in the oxide semiconductor layer for forming the semiconductorlayer 106 is extremely small. It is preferable that off-state current beas low as possible.

It is important that the state of the interface (interface state,interface charge, and the like) between the first insulating layer 104and the semiconductor layer 106 be adjusted to be appropriate becausesuch a highly purified oxide semiconductor is very sensitive to theinterface state and interface charge. Thus, it is preferable that thefirst insulating layer 104 which is in contact with the highly purifiedoxide semiconductor have high quality. Here, the “first insulating layer104 has high quality” means that there are few defects on the surface orinside the first insulating layer 104 and few defect levels andinterface states to trap charge, and it is difficult to generate a fixedcharge.

The first insulating layer 104 is preferably formed by, for example, ahigh-density plasma CVD method using a microwave (e.g., a frequency of2.45 GHz) because the first insulating layer 104 can be a dense layerhaving high withstand voltage.

This is because a close contact between the purified oxide semiconductorlayer and a high-quality gate insulating layer reduces interface statesand produces desirable interface characteristics

Needless to say, another film formation method such as a sputteringmethod or a plasma CVD method can be employed as long as it enablesformation of a high-quality insulating layer as the first insulatinglayer 104.

As an oxide semiconductor to be the semiconductor layer 106, the oxidesemiconductor includes at least one element selected from In, Ga, Sn,Zn, Al, Mg, Hf, or lanthanoid like the following metal oxide can beused: a four-component metal oxide such as an In—Sn—Ga—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor; a three-component metal oxide such as an In—Ga—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor(also referred to as IGZO), an In—Sn—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, an In—Al—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—Ga—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor, an Al—Ga—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, or aSn—Al—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Hf—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, an In—La—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Ce—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor, an In—Pr—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, anIn—Nd—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Pm—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, an In—Sm—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Eu—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor, an In—Gd—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, anIn—Tb—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Dy—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, an In—Ho—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Er—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor, an In—Tm—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, anIn—Yb—Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an In—Lu—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor; a two-component metal oxide such as an In—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, a Sn-Zn-based oxide semiconductor, an Al—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor, a Zn—Mg-based oxide semiconductor, a Sn—Mg-based oxidesemiconductor, or an In—Mg-based oxide semiconductor; an one-componentmetal oxide such as an indium oxide, a tin oxide, or a zinc oxide; orthe like. The above oxide semiconductor may contain SiO₂. Here, forexample, an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide semiconductor means an oxidesemiconductor containing In, Ga, or Zn, and there is no particularlimitation on the composition ratio thereof Further, In—Ga—Zn-basedoxide semiconductor may contain an element other than In, Ga, or Zn.

An oxide semiconductor to be the semiconductor layer 106 may berepresented by the chemical formula, InMO₃(ZnO)_(m) (m>0). Here, Mrepresents one or more metal elements selected from Ga, Al, Mn, and Co.For example, M can be Ga, Ga and Al, Ga and Mn, or Ga and Co. The aboveoxide semiconductor may contain SiO₂.

A target containing In₂O₃, Ga₂O₃, and ZnO at a composition ratio of1:1:1 [molar ratio] may be used for forming the oxide semiconductor filmto be the semiconductor layer 106 by a sputtering method. Withoutlimitation on the material and the composition of the target, forexample, a target containing In₂O₃, Ga₂O₃, and ZnO at a compositionratio of 1:1:2 [molar ratio] may be used. Here, for example, anIn—Ga—Zn-based oxide semiconductor film means an oxide film containingindium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn), and there is no particularlimitation on the composition ratio.

The oxide semiconductor film for forming the semiconductor layer 106 isformed by a sputtering method with use of an In—Ga—Zn-based oxidesemiconductor target. Further, the semiconductor layer 106 can be formedby a sputtering method under a rare gas (e.g., Ar) atmosphere, an oxygenatmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing a rare gas and an oxygengas.

Further, the filling rate of the target is 90% to 100% inclusive,preferably 95% to 99.9% inclusive. With the use of the target having ahigh filling rate, the oxide semiconductor film to be formed can be adense film.

Next, first heat treatment is performed on the semiconductor layer 106.The oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by thefirst heat treatment. The temperature of the first heat treatment ishigher than or equal to 400° C. and lower than or equal to 750° C.,preferably higher than or equal to 400° C. and lower than the strainpoint of the substrate. In this embodiment, heat treatment may beperformed in a nitrogen gas atmosphere at 450° C. for one hour as thefirst heat treatment. Note that there is no particular limitation ontiming of the first heat treatment as long as it is after formation ofthe oxide semiconductor layer. Further, the atmosphere for performingthe first heat treatment may be not only a nitrogen gas atmosphere, butalso a mixed gas atmosphere containing an oxygen gas and a nitrogen gas,an oxygen gas atmosphere, and an atmosphere from which moisture issufficiently removed (dry air). After the first heat treatment, theoxide semiconductor layer is preferably processed without exposure tothe air so that water or hydrogen can be prevented from reentering theoxide semiconductor layer

Dehydration or dehydrogenation may be performed on the first insulatinglayer 104 in advance by performing preheating before the semiconductorlayer 106 is formed.

It is preferable that remaining moisture and hydrogen in afilm-formation chamber be sufficiently removed before the semiconductorfilm to be the semiconductor layer 106 is formed. That is, beforeformation of the semiconductor film to be the semiconductor layer 106,evacuation is preferably performed with an entrapment vacuum pump (e.g.,a cryopump, an ion pump, or a titanium sublimation pump).

Next, the multilayer conductive film 107 is formed to cover the firstinsulating layer 104 and the semiconductor layer 106 (FIG. 1B).

The multilayer conductive film 107 includes the first conductive film107A, the second conductive film 107B, and the third conductive film107C in this order from the substrate 100 side. The first conductivefilm 107A, the second conductive film 107B, and the third conductivefilm 107C may be each formed of a conductive material. As a conductivematerial for forming the first conductive film 107A and the secondconductive film 107C, Ti, W, Mo or Ta, or a nitride thereof can begiven, for example. As a conductive material for forming the secondconductive film 107B, Al is given, for example.

Next, a resist mask 109 is formed over the multilayer conductive film107 at the selected areas (FIG. 1C). The resist mask 109 may be formedby photolithography.

Next, etching is performed on the multilayer conductive film 107 usingthe resist mask 109, whereby the second wiring layer 108 is formed. Thesecond wiring layer 108 constitute at least source and drain of atransistor. The etching process for forming the second wiring layer 108includes two-step etching. Here, the first and the second etchingprocesses for forming the second wiring layer 108 are described withreference to FIGS. 2A to 2D, paying attention to a region in FIG. 1Csurrounded by a dotted frame.

First, using the resist mask 109 (FIG. 2A), the multilayer conductivefilm 107 is etched until at least the first conductive film 107A isexposed (the first etching process). Here, the first conductive film107A is etched, whereby a first conductive film 107D is formed. Thefirst conductive film 107D exists over the entire surface of the firstinsulating layer 104 and the semiconductor layer 106, and there is noparticular limitation on the etching depth of the first conductive film107A as long as the insulating layer 104 and the semiconductor layer 106are not exposed (FIG. 2B). Note that a portion of the second conductivefilm 107B, which does not overlap with the resist mask 109, is etched,whereby a second conductive film 107E is formed. Further, a portion ofthe third conductive film 107C, which does not overlap with the resistmask 109, is etched, whereby a third conductive film 107F is formed.

Note that the first etching process may be performed in a gas atmospherecontaining a large amount of chlorine as its main component (a largeramount of chlorine than fluorine). Here, as an example of the gascontaining a large amount of chlorine, a CCl₄ gas, a SiCl₄ gas, a BCl₃gas, or a Cl₂ gas can be given. Specifically, a mixed gas of a BCl₃ gasand a Cl₂ gas is preferably used.

Then, the first conductive film 107D is etched until the firstinsulating layer 104 and the semiconductor layer 106 are exposed,whereby a first layer 108A of the second wiring layer is formed (thesecond etching process). Here, the third conductive film 107F is etchedbecause of recession of the resist mask, whereby a third layer 108C ofthe second wiring layer is formed. Note that in the second etchingprocess, it is only necessary that at least the first insulating layer104 and the semiconductor layer 106 are exposed and the exposedsemiconductor layer 106 is not removed by the etching (FIG. 2C).

Note that the second etching process may be performed in a gasatmosphere containing a large amount of fluorine as its main component(a larger amount of fluorine than chlorine). Here, as an example of thegas containing a large amount of fluorine, a CF₄ gas, a SF₆ gas, a NF₃gas, a CBrF₃ gas, CF₃SO₃H gas, or C₃F₈ can be given. Specifically, a SF₆gas is preferably used.

As described above, it is known that the gas containing a large amountof fluorine as its main component (specifically, a SF₆ gas) has a highetching rate for a resist mask and reduce the size of the resist mask(the resist mask is made to recede). Thus, the resist mask 109 isreduced in size by the second etching, whereby a resist mask 109C isformed. Further, by the reduction in size of the resist mask 109, aportion of the third conductive film 107F, which does not overlap withthe resist mask 109C, is also etched. However, in the case where thesecond conductive film 107E is formed of a material containing Al as itsmain component, for example, the second conductive film 107E is notetched.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a portion ofthe second conductive film 107E, which does not overlap with the resistmask 109C may be etched.

Lastly, the resist mask 109C is removed (FIG. 2D). In the case where thesecond conductive film 107E is formed of a material containing Al as itsmain component, a product containing aluminum is attached to a side wallof the second conductive film 107E due to the second etching. When theresist mask 109C is removed by a resist stripper in this state, the sidewall of the second conductive film 107E is slightly etched and a secondlayer 108B of the second wiring layer is formed. Here, as the resiststripper, a chemical solution which corrodes aluminum may be used.“Nagase resist strip N-300” (manufactured by Nagase ChemteX Co., Ltd.)may be used, for example. Note that “Nagase resist strip N-300”(manufactured by Nagase ChemteX Co., Ltd.) includes 2-aminoethanol andglycol ether at 30 wt % and 70 wt %, respectively.

As described above, the multilayer conductive film 107 is etched to formthe second wiring layers 108, so that the separated second wiring layers108 can be formed while the thickness of the semiconductor layer 106 ina portion to be a channel formation region is kept. By forming thesecond wiring layer 108 using such an etching method, variation inthickness of the semiconductor layer 106 in the portion to be a channelformation region within the substrate surface can be small even when thesubstrate 100 has a large area.

Further, in the second wiring layer 108 formed as described above, theside walls of the first layer 108A, the second layer 108B, and the thirdlayer 108C of the second wiring layer do not exist in the same plane.The second wiring layer 108 has a side wall with a three-stepped shape.

As explained above, the transistor according to this embodiment isachieved (FIG. 3A).

Note that the transistor shown in FIG. 3A is provided over the substrate100 and includes the first wiring layer 102, the first insulating layer104 formed to cover the first wiring layer 102, the semiconductor layer106 formed over the first insulating layer 104, and the second wiringlayer 108 formed to overlap the semiconductor layer 106. There is littledifference between the thickness (referred to as “first thickness”) of aportion of the semiconductor layer 106, which does not overlap with thesecond wiring layer 108 and the thickness (referred to as, “the secondthickness”) of a portion of the semiconductor layer 106, which overlapswith the second wiring layer 108.

Further, in the transistor shown in FIG. 3A, the on-state current of thetransistor can be sufficiently large and the off-state current of thetransistor can be sufficiently small because the thickness of thesemiconductor layer 106 can be kept thick. Further, it is possible toachieve transistors in which variation in characteristics is smallbecause there is little variation in thickness of semiconductor layerswithin the substrate surface due to etching even when the transistor 100has a large area

The thickness of the semiconductor layer 106 may depend on therelationship with the thickness of the first insulating layer 104. Whenthe thickness of the first insulating layer 104 is 100 nm, the thicknessof the semiconductor layer 106 may be approximately greater than orequal to 15 nm The reliability of the transistor may be improved whenthe thickness of the semiconductor layer 106 is greater than or equal to25 nm. The thickness of the semiconductor layer 106 is preferably 30 nmto 40 nm.

Meanwhile, a second insulating layer 110 is formed further in thetransistor shown in FIG. 3A (FIG. 3B).

The second insulating layer 110 may be formed of silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride or the like, and is preferably formed by asputtering method. It is because water or hydrogen can be prevented fromreentering the semiconductor layer 106. Specifically, a portion of thesecond insulating layer 110, which is in contact with the semiconductorlayer 106, is preferably formed of silicon oxide. Otherwise, when thesecond insulating layer 110 has a structure having a plurality ofstacked layers, at least a layer, which is in contact with thesemiconductor layer 106, may be formed of silicon oxide, and an organicresin layer or the like may be formed over the silicon oxide layer.

Next, second heat treatment (preferably at greater than or equal to 200°C. and less than or equal to 400° C., for example, greater than or equal250° C. and less than or equal to 350° C.) is performed in an inert gasatmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. For example, the second heattreatment is performed in a nitrogen gas atmosphere at 250° C. for onehour. In the second heat treatment, heat is applied while part of theoxide semiconductor layer (a channel formation region) is in contactwith the second insulating layer 110. Further, the second heat treatmentmay be performed after forming the second insulating layer 110. However,the timing is not limited thereto.

Further, the third wiring layer 112 is formed over the second insulatinglayer 110 at the selected area to overlap with the channel formationregion of the semiconductor layer 106 (FIG. 3C). Because the thirdwiring layer 112 functions as a back gate, it may be formed ofconductive material. The third wiring layer 112 may be an electricallyindependent wiring, electrically connected to the first wiring layer102, or floating. The third wiring layer 112 can be formed using amaterial and a method which are similar to those of the first wiringlayer 102

When the third wiring layer 112 is an electrically independent wiring,it may function as a back gate which does not depend on the potential ofthe first wiring layer 102. In this case, it is possible to control thethreshold voltage by the back gate.

When the third wiring layer 112 is electrically connected to the firstwiring layer 102, the potential of the third wiring layer 112 can beequal to the potential of the first wiring layer 102 or the potential inaccordance with the potential of the first wiring layer 102. When thethird wiring layer 112 is set to the potential in accordance with thepotential of the first wiring layer 102, a resistor may be providedbetween a gate formed using the first wiring layer 102 and a back gateformed using the third wiring layer 112. At this time, the current perunit area when the transistor is on can be increased.

When the third wiring layer 112 is floating, the third wiring layer 112cannot function as a back gate, but it is possible to function as anadditional protection layer for the semiconductor layer 106.

Further, a transistor having the semiconductor layer 106, which is ahighly purified oxide semiconductor layer, can decrease the current inan off state (off-state current) to a level under 10 zA/μm (less than 10zA per 1 μm of the channel width), under 100 zA/μm at 85° C. That is,the off-state current can be lowered to be around the measurement limitor below the measurement limit.

Embodiment 2

The present invention is not limited to the mode described inEmbodiment 1. For example, a transistor may have a TGTC structure as asemiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention.

A method for manufacturing a transistor according to one embodiment ofthe present invention, described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C, andFIGS. 5A to 5D includes the steps of forming a semiconductor layer 206;stacking a first conductive film 207A, a second conductive film 207B,and a third conductive film 207C in this order over the semiconductorlayer 206 to form a multilayer conductive film 207; performing etchingincluding at least two steps on the multilayer conductive film 207 toform the separated first wiring layers 208 having a three-layerstructure; forming an insulating layer 210 to cover the first wiringlayer 208 and the semiconductor layer 206; and forming a second wiringlayer 212 over the semiconductor layer 210 to overlap with thesemiconductor layer 206. The two-step etching includes the first etchingprocess, which is performed until at least the first conductive film207A is exposed, and the second etching process, which is performedunder the condition that the etching rate for the first conductive film207A is higher than that in the first etching process and the etchingrate for the semiconductor layer 206 is lower than that in the firstetching process.

First, a base insulating layer 204 is preferably formed over thesubstrate 200, and the semiconductor layer 206 is formed over thesubstrate 200 or the base insulating layer 204 at the selected area(FIG. 4A).

The substrate 200 may be the same as the substrate 100 of Embodiment 1.

The base insulating layer 204 can be formed of the same material and bythe same method as the first insulating layer 104 of Embodiment 1.

The semiconductor layer 206 can be formed of the same material and bythe same method as the semiconductor layer 106 of Embodiment 1.

Next, the multilayer conductive film 207 is formed over the baseinsulating layer 204 and the semiconductor layer 206, and a resist mask209 is formed over the multilayer conductive film 207 at the selectedarea (FIG. 4A).

The multilayer conductive film 207 can be formed of the same materialand by the same method as the multilayer conductive film 107 ofEmbodiment 1.

The resist mask 209 can be formed by photolithography as the resist mask109 of Embodiment 1.

Next, etching is performed on the multilayer conductive film 207 usingthe resist mask 209, whereby the first wiring layer 208 is formed. Thefirst wiring layer 208 constitutes at least source and drain of atransistor. The etching process for forming the first wiring layer 208includes two-step etching. Here, the first and the second etchingprocesses for forming the first wiring layer 208 are described withreference to FIGS. 5A to 5D, paying attention to a region in FIG. 4Asurrounded by a dotted frame.

First, using the resist mask 209 (FIG. 5A), the multilayer conductivefilm 207 is etched until at least the first conductive film 207A isexposed (the first etching process). Here, the first conductive film207A is etched, whereby a first conductive film 207D is formed. Thefirst conductive film 207D exists over the entire surface of the baseinsulating layer 204 and the semiconductor layer 206, and there is noparticular limitation on the etching depth of the first conductive film207A as long as the base insulating layer 204 and the semiconductorlayer 206 are not exposed (FIG. 5B). Note that a portion of the secondconductive film 207B, which does not overlaps with the resist mask 209,is etched, whereby a second conductive film 207E is formed. Further, aportion of the third conductive film 207C, which does not overlap withthe resist mask 209, is etched, whereby a third conductive film 207F isformed.

Note that the first etching process may be performed in a gas atmospherecontaining a large amount of chlorine as its main component (a largeramount of chlorine than fluorine). Here, as an example of the gascontaining a large amount of chlorine, a CCl₄ gas, a SiCl₄ gas, a BCl₃gas, or a Cl₂ gas can be given. Specifically, a mixed gas of a BCl₃ gasand a Cl₂ gas is preferably used.

Next, the first conductive film 207D is etched until the base insulatinglayer 204 and the semiconductor layer 206 are exposed, whereby a firstlayer 208A of the first wiring layer is formed (the second etchingprocess). Here, the third conductive film 207F is etched because of therecession of the resist mask, whereby a third layer 208C of the firstwiring layer is formed. Note that in the second etching process, it isonly necessary that at least the base insulating layer 204 and thesemiconductor layer 206 are exposed and the exposed semiconductor layer206 is not removed by the etching (FIG. 5C).

Note that the second etching process may be performed in a gasatmosphere containing a large amount of fluorine as its main component(a larger amount of fluorine than chlorine). Here, as an example of thegas containing a large amount of fluorine, a CF₄ gas, a SF₆ gas, a NF₃gas, a CBrF₃ gas, CF₃SO₃H gas, or C₃F₈ can be given. Specifically, a SF₆gas is preferably used.

As described above, it is known that the gas containing a large amountof fluorine as its main component (specifically, a SF₆ gas) has a highetching rate for a resist mask and reduce the size of the resist mask(the resist mask is made to recede). Thus, the resist mask 209 isreduced in size by the second etching, whereby a resist mask 209C isformed. Further, by the reduction in size of the resist mask 209, aportion of the third conductive film 207F, which does not overlap withthe resist mask 209C, is also etched. However, in the case where thesecond conductive film 207E is formed of a material containing Al as itsmain component, for example, the second conductive film 207E is notetched.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a portion ofthe second conductive film 207E, which does not overlap with the resistmask 209C, may be etched.

Lastly, the resist mask 209C is removed (FIG. 5D). In the case where thesecond conductive film 207E is formed of a material containing Al as itsmain component, a product containing aluminum is attached to a side wallof the second conductive film 207E due to the second etching. When theresist mask 209C is removed by a resist stripper in this state, the sidewall of the second conductive film 207E is slightly etched and a secondlayer 208B of the first wiring layer is formed. Here, as the resiststripper, a chemical solution which corrodes aluminum may be used.“Nagase resist strip N-300” (manufactured by Nagase ChemteX Co., Ltd.)may be used, for example.

As described above, the multilayer conductive film 207 is etched to formthe first wiring layers 208, so that the separated first wiring layers208 can be formed while the thickness of the semiconductor layer 206 ina portion to be a channel formation region is kept. By forming the firstwiring layer 208 using such an etching method, variation in thickness ofthe semiconductor layer 206 in the portion to be a channel formationregion within the substrate surface can be small even when the substrate200 has a large area.

Further, in the second wiring layer 208 formed as described above, theside walls of the first layer 208A, the second layer 208B, and the thirdlayer 208C of the first wiring layer do not exist in the same plane. Thefirst wiring layer 208 has a side wall with a three-stepped shape (FIG.4B).

Then, the insulating layer 210 is formed over the first wiring layer208, the semiconductor layer 206, and the base insulating layer 204(FIG. 4C). The insulating layer 210 constitutes at least a gateinsulating layer of the transistor.

The insulating layer 210 can be formed of the same material and by thesame method as the first insulating layer 104 of Embodiment 1. Thus, thefirst insulating layer 210 may be formed using gallium oxide, aluminumoxide, or other oxygen-excess oxides.

Next, the second wiring layer 212 is formed over the insulating layer210 at the selected area to overlap with at least the semiconductorlayer 206 (FIG. 4C). The second wiring layer 212 constitutes at least agate of the transistor. Accordingly, the transistor according to thisembodiment is manufactured (FIG. 4C).

Further, the transistor shown in FIG. 4C includes the semiconductorlayer 206, the separated first wiring layers 208, over the semiconductorlayer 206, the insulating layer 210 formed to cover the first wiringlayer 208, and the second wiring layer 212 provided over the insulatinglayer 210. There is little difference between the thickness(hereinafter, “first thickness”) of a portion of the semiconductor layer206, which does not overlap with the first wiring layer 208 and thethickness (hereinafter, “the second thickness”) of a portion of thesemiconductor layer 206, which overlaps with the first wiring layer 208.

Further, in the transistor shown in FIG. 4C, the on-state current of thetransistor can be sufficiently large and the off-state current of thetransistor can be sufficiently small because the thickness of thesemiconductor layer 206 can be kept thick. Further, it is possible toachieve transistors in which variation in characteristics is smallbecause there is little variation in thickness of semiconductor layerswithin the substrate surface due to etching even when the transistor 200has a large area

The thickness of the semiconductor layer 206 may depend on therelationship with the thickness of the insulating layer 210. When thethickness of the insulating layer 210 is 100 nm, the thickness of thesemiconductor layer 206 may be approximately greater than or equal to 15nm. The reliability of the transistor is improved when the thickness ofthe semiconductor layer 206 is greater than or equal to 25 nm. Thethickness of the semiconductor layer 206 is preferably greater than orequal to 25 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm

As explained in this embodiment, a transistor having a TGTC structuremay be manufactured by adjusting the thickness of the semiconductorlayer.

Further, although not illustrated, a back gate may be provided betweenthe base insulating layer 204 and the substrate 200 to overlap with thesemiconductor layer 206. Disposing the back gate in this manner mayprovide the same effect as forming the third wiring layer 112 inEmbodiment 1.

Note that the oxide semiconductor layer is highly purified also in thisembodiment. A transistor having the semiconductor layer 206, which is ahighly purified oxide semiconductor layer, can decrease the current inan off state (off-state current) to a level under 10 zA/μm (less than 10zA per 1 μm of the channel width), under 100 zA/μm at 85° C. That is,the off current can be lowered to be around the measurement limit orbelow the measurement limit.

However, the present invention is not limited to the modes described inEmbodiments 1 and 2, and can be changed as appropriate within the rangewithout depart from the spirit of the present invention. For example,the transistor may have a BGBC structure or a TGBC structure.

Embodiment 3

Next, electronic devices according to an embodiment of the presentinvention will be described. In the electronic devices of thisembodiment, at least one of transistors described in Embodiments 1 and 2is mounted. Examples of the electronic devices of the present inventioninclude a computer, a mobile phone (also referred to as a cellular phoneor a mobile phone device), a portable information terminal (including aportable game machine, an audio reproducing device, and the like), adigital camera, a digital video camera, electronic paper, and atelevision device (also referred to as a television or a televisionreceiver). For example, the transistor described in either Embodiment 1or 2 may be used as a pixel transistor constituting a pixel portion ofsuch an electronic device.

FIG. 6A illustrates a laptop personal computer, which includes a housing301, a housing 302, a display portion 303, a keyboard 304, and the like.The transistor described in either Embodiment 1 or 2 is provided in thehousings 301 and 302. By mounting the transistor described in Embodiment1 or 2 on the laptop personal computer illustrated in FIG. 6A, displayunevenness of the display portion can be reduced and reliability can beimproved.

FIG. 6B illustrates a portable information terminal (PDA), whichincludes a display portion 313, an external interface 315, an operationbutton 314, and the like in a main body 311. Further, a stylus 312 foroperating the portable information terminal or the like is provided. Thetransistor described in either Embodiment 1 or 2 is provided in the mainbody 311. By mounting the transistor described in Embodiment 1 or 2 onthe PDA illustrated in FIG. 6B, display unevenness of the displayportion can be reduced and reliability can be improved.

FIG. 6C illustrates an e-book reader 320 mounted with electronic paper,which includes two housings of a housing 321 and a housing 323. Thehousing 321 and the housing 323 include a display portion 325 and adisplay portion 327, respectively. The housing 321 is combined with thehousing 323 by a hinge 337, so that the e-book reader 320 can be openedand closed using the hinge 337 as an axis. The housing 321 is providedwith a power switch 331, operation keys 333, a speaker 335, and thelike. At least one of the housing 321 and the housing 323 is providedwith the transistor described in either Embodiment 1 or 2. By mountingthe transistor described in Embodiment 1 or 2 on the e-book readerillustrated in FIG. 6C, display unevenness of the display portion can bereduced and reliability can be improved.

FIG. 6D illustrates a mobile phone which includes two housings of ahousing 340 and a housing 341. Moreover, the housings 340 and 341 whichare shown unfolded in FIG. 6D can overlap with each other by sliding.Thus, the mobile phone can be in a suitable size for portable use. Thehousing 341 includes a display panel 342, a speaker 343, a microphone344, a pointing device 346, a camera lens 347, an external connectionterminal 348, and the like. The housing 340 is provided with a solarcell 349 for charging the mobile phone, an external memory slot 350, andthe like. In addition, an antenna is incorporated in the housing 341. Atleast one of the housing 340 and the housing 341 is provided with thetransistor described in either Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2. By mountingthe transistor described in Embodiment 1 or 2 on the mobile phoneillustrated in FIG. 6D, display unevenness of the display portion can bereduced and reliability can be improved.

FIG. 6E illustrates a digital camera which includes a main body 361, adisplay portion 367, an eyepiece 363, an operation switch 364, a displayportion 365, a battery 366, and the like. The transistor described ineither Embodiment 1 or 2 is provided in the main body 361. By mountingthe transistor described in Embodiment 1 or 2 on the digital cameraillustrated in FIG. 6E, display unevenness of the display portion can bereduced and reliability can be improved.

FIG. 6F is a television set 370 which includes a housing 371, a displayportion 373, a stand 375, and the like. The television set 370 can beoperated by an operation switch included in the housing 371 or by aremote controller 380. In the housing 371 or the remote controller 380,the transistor described in either Embodiment 1 or 2 is mounted. Bymounting the transistor described in Embodiment 1 or 2 on the televisionset illustrated in FIG. 6F, display unevenness of the display portioncan be reduced and reliability can be improved.

Example 1

In this example, the transistor of Embodiment 1, that is, the transistorshown in FIG. 3A is actually fabricated, and STEM images of a crosssection of the transistor are illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

A glass substrate was used as the substrate 100. Note that, a baseinsulating layer was formed using silicon oxynitride between thesubstrate 100 and the first wiring layer 102.

The first wiring layer 102 was formed of tungsten and had a thickness of150 nm.

The first insulating layer 104 was formed of a silicon oxynitride andhad a thickness of 100 nm

The semiconductor layer 106 was formed of an In—Ga—Zn—O-based oxidesemiconductor and had a thickness of 50 nm

The first layer 108A of the second wiring layer was formed of Ti and hada thickness of 100 nm The second layer 108B of the second wiring layerwas formed of Al and had a thickness of 200 nm. The third layer 108C ofthe second wiring layer was formed of Ti and had a thickness of 50 nm.

The second insulating layer 110 was formed of a silicon oxide and had athickness of 300 nm

Here, two kinds of samples were prepared for comparison.

As for a first sample, etching for processing the multilayer conductivefilm 107 to form the second wiring layers 108 is performed using only amixture gas of a BCl₃ gas and a Cl₂ gas.

As for a second sample, two-step etching for processing the multilayerconductive film 107 to form the second wiring layer 108 was performed.The first etching process was performed using a mixture gas of a BCl₃gas and a Cl₂ gas, and the second etching process was performed usingonly a SF_(S) gas.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional STEM image of the side surface of thesecond wiring layer 108 in the first sample. FIG. 7B is across-sectional STEM image of the side surface of the second wiringlayer 108 in the second sample.

As seen from FIGS. 7A and 7B, the semiconductor layer 106 of the firstsample is etched; however, the semiconductor layer 106 of the secondsample is hardly etched. In other words, by the two-step etching that isone embodiment of the present invention, the layer provided below and incontact with the film to be etched was able to prevent from being etchedwhile being etched deeply in a conventional method.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application serial no.2010-161374 filed with Japan Patent Office on Jul. 16, 2010, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,comprising the steps of: forming an oxide semiconductor layer; forming astack of conductive films on the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein thestack comprises at least a first conductive film on the oxidesemiconductor layer and a second conductive film over the firstconductive film; selectively etching the stack until the firstconductive film is exposed, and selectively etching the first conductivefilm until the oxide semiconductor layer is exposed.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein in the step of electively etching thefirst conductive film, an etching rate for the first conductive film ishigher than that in the step of electively etching the stack, and anetching rate for the oxide semiconductor layer is lower than that in thestep of electively etching the stack.
 4. The method according to claim2, wherein the second conductive film has higher conductivity than thefirst conductive film, and wherein the second conductive film is thickerthan each of the first conductive film.
 5. The method according to claim2, wherein the first conductive film comprises titanium, and wherein thesecond conductive film comprises aluminum.
 6. The method according toclaim 2, wherein an end portion of the first conductive film and an endportion of the second conductive film are not aligned with each other,and wherein the end portion of the second conductive film is over thefirst conductive film.
 7. The method according to claim 2, furthercomprising steps of: forming a resist mask on the stack before the stepof selectively etching the stack; and removing the resist mask after thestep of selectively etching the first conductive film.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 2, further comprising steps of: forming an insulatinglayer covering the oxide semiconductor layer and the stack after thestep of selectively etching the first conductive film; and forming awiring layer over the insulating layer to overlap with the oxidesemiconductor layer.
 9. A method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice, comprising the steps of: forming an oxide semiconductor layer;forming a stack of conductive films over the oxide semiconductor layer,the stack comprises a first conductive film on the oxide semiconductorlayer, a second conductive film on the first conductive film, and athird conductive film on the second conductive film; selectively etchingthe second conductive film and the third conductive film until the firstconductive film is exposed, and selectively etching the first conductivefilm until the oxide semiconductor layer is exposed.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein in the step of electively etching thefirst conductive film, an etching rate for the first conductive film ishigher than that in the step of electively etching the stack, and anetching rate for the oxide semiconductor layer is lower than that in thestep of electively etching the stack.
 11. The method according to claim9, wherein the second conductive film has higher conductivity than eachof the first conductive film and the third conductive film, and whereinthe second conductive film is thicker than each of the first conductivefilm and the third conductive film.
 12. The method according to claim 9,wherein the first conductive film is thicker than the third conductivefilm.
 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein each of the firstconductive film and the third conductive film comprises titanium, andwherein the second conductive film comprises aluminum.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 9, wherein an end portion of the first conductivefilm, an end portion of the second conductive film, and an end portionof the third conductive film are not aligned with each other, whereinthe end portion of the second conductive film is over the firstconductive film, and wherein the end portion of the third conductivefilm is over the second conductive film.
 15. The method according toclaim 9, further comprising steps of: forming a resist mask on the stackbefore the step of selectively etching the stack; and removing theresist mask after the step of selectively etching the first conductivefilm.
 16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising steps of:forming an insulating layer covering the oxide semiconductor layer andthe stack after the step of selectively etching the first conductivefilm; and forming a wiring layer over the insulating layer to overlapwith the oxide semiconductor layer.